Grants
Thinking About Community Needs?
Community
Grant-making
Making grants for the benefit of those who live, work, worship, and play in Tipton County is at the core for what we do at the Tipton County Foundation. Donors to TCF have established a wide variety of funds that make grants to a broad range of charitable agencies and purposes.
Grant Polices
Preference is given to proposals that address priority community concerns. TCF makes an investment in projects that will have the greatest benefit per dollar possible, and that seek to achieve objectives that are measurable and timely.
Groups are only eligible to receive grants if they are nonprofit or charitable. Groups of individuals or non 501 agencies should contact the Foundation on how we may partner with you to accomplish your community benefit goals outside of a traditional grant.
Groups seeking funding must also have a well-maintained management structure (such as a board of directors) and must document their fiscal management with adequate accounting procedures. These may include a specific fundraising plan and current strategic plan.
The Foundation does not make grants to individuals (except for scholarships), nor for debt reduction, travel, or political purposes. In addition, programs or equipment purchased before the grant proposal was initiated, for which the organization now seeks reimbursement, are not grant-eligible expenses. And remember, projects that benefit a very small or specific number of people may not be considered charitable by the IRS.
Grant Procedures
Proposers start with a statement of intent, outlining the project and the parties involved. This takes about 5 minutes to complete, and gives TCF the opportunity to highlight any outstanding questions before accepting a full proposal.
After the statement of intent is approved, a full proposal is completed by the deadline. This includes:
​
-
A rationale explaining in detail the need for your project, how the project will be implemented, and how the success of the project will be measured.
-
A statement of collaboration describing who else is involved in the project (partners, participating organizations, etc), as well as any other organizations or agencies that do similar work, and your relationship to those groups.•
-
A statement of organizational strength outlining the sustainability of your organization and may include your annual fundraising and/or strategic plan.
Finally, a diverse committee of community volunteers and members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors evaluates each proposal based on its potential impact, use of community resources, and the operational strength of the proposing body.